Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Hu... Zhou Qiao is my sister. I need to talk to her about something. Can she come with me for a little while?”

Chen Cheng glanced indifferently at the Steward.

”Yes, yes, yes! Of course you can!”

Cold sweat had already broken out on the Steward’s forehead, and she nodded profusely.

’I only knew Hu Niu had a brother mixed up in a gang, one who was crippled by a serious injury a few days ago. Who would’ve thought this girl also had a brother who’s a Martial Artist from Dragon Mountain Hall!’

’Years ago, just for being nasty to Hu Niu, I was taught a lesson by Xiaolong, and he was just a low-level gang member back then.’

’But this man standing before me now is a true Martial Artist from Dragon Mountain Hall. If he decides to investigate me for deliberately docking Hu Niu’s pay...’

HISS—

She didn’t dare to let her thoughts go any further, her face twisting into a humble, fawning smile.

”Qiao, what are you just standing there for? Quick, go with your brother! Important matters come first!”

As the Steward spoke, she grabbed the needlework from Hu Niu’s hands.

”Don’t you worry, your auntie here will finish this for you! I won’t mark you down for taking leave, and... and I won’t dock your pay by a single cent!”

Hu Niu froze for a moment, then gave a small nod and followed Chen Cheng out of the Workshop.

The Workshop was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. A few of the women, heads bent over their work, secretly exchanged glances as their needlework slowed.

But the Steward didn’t dare make another peep.

...

「Kuhuai Village.」

In a dark and foul-smelling alley, Hu Niu pushed open a rickety wooden door that looked like it might collapse from a single cough.

A hot, musty wave of air, thick with the strong smell of Herbal Decoction, rushed out to meet them.

Chen Cheng’s gaze swept into the room, landing on Zhou Long lying in bed.

”...Xiaolong.”

”Brother Cheng...”

Xiaolong’s face was deathly pale, his lips cracked and peeling. He struggled to sit up, but the moment he lifted his neck, he choked and began to cough violently.

His entire gaunt upper body trembled. His right hand clutched desperately at the thin fabric over his chest, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged as if they were about to burst through his skin.

”Stay down! Don’t move!”

Chen Cheng was at the bedside in two steps.

Hu Niu followed him in silently, latching the broken door behind her.

”How did it get this bad?” Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed.

”That night... the Qinghe Gang and the Black Wolf Gang were at each other’s throats... Some strange men, wrapped head to toe in black cloth, got mixed in with their side...”

Zhou Long paused to catch his breath, then continued.

”We’d never heard of them before, didn’t know what they were capable of... My chest... I took a solid punch right here...”

”What did the doctor say?”

Chen Cheng glanced at the medicine pot and dregs in the corner, his brow furrowing even deeper.

”...Most of my sternum is shattered, and my heart and lungs have severe internal damage... Even though they saved my life, I’m crippled...”

”Forget about practicing martial arts, I won’t even be able to do heavy labor from now on...”

Zhou Long’s voice was hoarse, filled with a hollow resignation.

”I’m... completely finished.”

”Xiaolong...”

Chen Cheng reached out and pressed Zhou Long’s shoulder, saying solemnly,

”As long as you’re alive, there’s always hope. Don’t dwell on it. Just focus on recovering for now.”

After speaking, Chen Cheng reached into his robes, pulled out his entire Money Bag, and without even looking at it, placed it right by Zhou Long’s pillow.

”Brother Cheng... don’t. You can’t do this... You still have your training. You have more need for money...”

Zhou Long said hurriedly.

”I saved up a little myself... Mom, Dad, and Hu Niu are still working to earn money... It’s enough to keep me hanging on...”

Hu Niu stood in the corner, tears dripping onto the floor, but she bit her lip hard and remained silent.

”It’s just a small token of my concern. It’s not much money, so just take it. Pretend I just brought over a chicken and a cut of meat for your visit.”

Chen Cheng tried his best to control his emotions, not wanting to wound what little pride Zhou Long had left.

Zhou Long’s lips trembled. His gaze drifted to Hu Niu, and the tense line of his jaw suddenly slackened. In the end, he stopped refusing.

Just as Chen Cheng was about to take his leave, Zhou Long suddenly remembered something, as if he’d been jolted.

”Brother Cheng, from now on, the jobs from the Red Moon Nunnery... you, you should tell Aunt Li not to take them anymore... And find a way to move out of Kuhuai Village...”

Chen Cheng’s expression turned grim. ”The Red Moon Nunnery? What’s going on?”

”Lately, there are a lot of rumors on the streets about the Red Moon Nunnery, and every single one of them sounds sinister...”

Zhou Long caught his breath and continued.

”Some say there are ghostly wails and a red mist filling the sky every night at the nunnery. Some say cat-faced nuns gnaw on corpses under the moonlight. And even more disturbing, some say the corpses they buy... all come back to life!”

He paused, unable to hide the fear in his eyes.

”I’ve been lying here mulling it over for days... The strange person who injured me that night... His attacks had no form or style, but they were unnaturally fast, and his Power was bizarre... It looked soft, but it wounded on contact.”

”And... they carried a strange smell... like temple incense mixed with something... a putrid, sour stench of decay.”

”I can’t put my finger on exactly what’s wrong, but the Black Wolf Gang and the Red Moon Nunnery have dealings, you know that... Staying far away from the Black Wolf Gang’s territory is definitely the right move!”

Chen Cheng listened in silence, his own thoughts in turmoil.

Whether it was because of Zhou Long’s advice or the experiences from his past life, he knew he had to leave Kuhuai Village as soon as possible.

But just now, Chen Cheng had given all his money to Zhou Long...

’If I want to move, I need to get some money first!’

After Chen Cheng left, the atmosphere in the room didn’t return to its usual icy despair.

Zhou Long stared blankly at the Money Bag by his pillow for a long time, then murmured under his breath.

”Hu Niu, they say adversity reveals true friendship... Now that I’ve fallen to this state... besides you, Mom, and Dad, the only one who still truly cares for me is Brother Cheng...”

He paused, forcing a smile that was uglier than a grimace.

”Liang Guang... Cao Bado... and all those close buddies who called me brother... They made all sorts of grand promises, but when push came to shove... Heh...”

”This kindness from Brother Cheng... We have to remember it. Etch it into our bones!”

”I will, Brother.”

Hu Niu nodded emphatically, thought for a moment, and added,

”Oh, right. When Brother Cheng came to find me today, the Steward at the Workshop was scared out of her wits. I think I heard her mention something... that... that Brother Cheng came from the Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard...”

”The Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard!?”

Zhou Long sucked in a sharp breath, aggravating his wound. His face went white with pain, but after a long moment, a smile of relief appeared on his lips.

”Good... That’s so good. Brother Cheng has really made something of himself...”

He turned his head to look at his sister, a faint glimmer of light returning to his eyes for the first time in a long while.

”Hu Niu, remember this. Brother Cheng is on a completely different level now... This bit of warmth he’s given us... we have to cherish it, live well, and not let his kindness go to waste...”

Hu Niu hummed in assent, though she only vaguely understood.

She clearly hadn’t yet realized just how much ”warmth” Chen Cheng’s brief appearance at the Workshop would bring her in the future.

...

After returning to the An Nan District, Chen Cheng went straight to the Yongsheng Trading Company.

The Tea and Horse Trade Team had already departed. The great courtyard, usually bustling with people and the braying of mules and horses, was now exceptionally empty and desolate.

The heavy wooden gates were open, but inside, only a few odd-job workers could be seen, lazily doing their chores.

Chen Cheng had just stepped into the courtyard when a gaunt, raggedly-dressed youth came up to greet him.

The youth kept his head lowered, his gaze only daring to fall on Chen Cheng’s cloth shoes, and his voice was so faint it seemed the wind might carry it away.

”M-may I ask... who you are looking for, sir?”

”Da Gou.”

Chen Cheng smiled, calling the other by his nickname.

The youth’s name was Gou Fu, one of the few friends Chen Cheng had made at the trading company. The two of them often helped each other out while working.

”It hasn’t been that long. You don’t recognize me already?”

”You... you are?”

Gou Fu slowly raised his eyes, staring for a long time before it suddenly dawned on him.

”Xiaochengzi!? My god! It really is you! How’d you get all dressed up like a young master? If you hadn’t said anything, I never would have recognized you!”

—